Can you carry a gun while wearing a mask in South Carolina? Law enforcement weighs in
As more South Carolina cities adopt ordinances requiring people to wear face masks in public spaces, law enforcement officials and legal scholars have been taking a look at the statutes to answer a specific question: Is there any risk of running afoul of the law by carrying a gun while donning a face mask in the Palmetto State?
Generally, wearing masks isn’t allowed on any “lane, walk, alley, street, road, public way or highway” in South Carolina, and in a lot of other places and situations. But, there’s no mention of guns.
While face coverings may be prohibited in most cases, legal gun owners don’t have to worry their everyday carry will get them into trouble, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
“Accordingly, there is no South Carolina Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP) law that prohibits a South Carolina CWP holder from wearing a mask to comply with a city or a county health ordinance or to help stop the spread of COVID-19 while carrying a concealed weapon in South Carolina,” the SLED statement said.
There’s nothing on the books stopping someone with a Concealed Weapons Permit from packing heat while wearing a mask, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a statement to WYFF.
“There is no prohibition to my knowledge that we can find that would prohibit CWP carrier to carry their firearm and wear a surgical mask or face covering,” he said, according to WYFF.
It’s a question coming up across the country.
It sparked a debate in Illinois, where being armed and masked is prohibited, and a statewide mask mandate was enacted to slow the spread of coronavirus, WGLT reported, though police ultimately decided it was a non-issue.
“Somebody who is legally carrying and not committing a crime, the mask isn’t going to be an issue,” McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage said.
In Washington, certain rules are causing confusion on the subject, including one that defines face masks as “armor” under some circumstances, KREM reported.
Like in South Carolina, there’s no conflict between masks and lawful firearms, but Washington authorities are still having to take the time to educate the public on that issue, among others, as it enacts a statewide mask policy, according to the outlet.
